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Argentina announces ambitious national broadband expansion

The government of Argentina is jumping into national broadband expansion with both feet, announcing an ambitious, ARS 8 billion ($2 billion) plan to build a broadband network--along with digital television service--that will extend from the capital all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, reports Dow Jones.

"Argentina Connected" will "democratize access to technology," the country's president, Christina Fernandez, said in an announcement Monday. In addition to building out some 26,000 km of fiber optic cable, residents will also have free access to a nationwide digital television network. State-run communications and satellite operator Arsat will manage the fiber optic network.

The digital television portion of Argentina Connected program is perhaps the most interesting. The government plans to have 75 percent of the country able to access programming thanks to a number of planned new antenna builds. "Thousands of hours" of content will be commissioned for public channels and one channel will be dedicated to nothing but "home-grown" movies.